Tips for Building Trust: Testimonals are powerful and other pointers

Testimonials are powerful tools in building trust

You can say what you like yourself about you and your company but that does not have the power that comments, reviews or testimonials from your clients and customers have.

But please don’t make them up yourself – you will probably make it obvious this is what you have done. Ask your clients if they would be good enough to provide a testimonial – many will be happy to help you.

Other tips for building trust are:

• Don’t try to sell – Inform and explain. People come looking for information so if you offer valuable, helpful tips for free, it opens them up to everything else you have to offer.
• Be yourself – if you are a small business, don’t pretend to be something else.
• Be personal – its you people are likely to be interested in. Include photos of you and your team and individual contact details.
• Good About Us page – create a feel for your business. Adding a personal touch makes you seem more approachable.
• Clear contact details – a bricks and mortar address is an essential along with full contact details and a landline.
• E-commerce –  Reviews and customer testimonials along with clear shipping charges and returns policy help increase your trust levels. Hidden costs, lack of contact details, negative stance on returns, lack of information etc are a big turnoff.